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Ladies Auxiliary History
History of The Anne Arundel County Ladies Auxiliary
On April 11, 1938, a meeting was held by Addie Tongue of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Independent Fire Company No. 2 from Annapolis to interest other auxiliaries in forming a County Ladies Auxiliary. On May 14, 1938, the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firemen’s Association Ladies Auxiliary was organized. Charter members were Independent No. 2, Brooklyn, Jessup, and Odenton. In less than a year, the member auxiliaries grew to 11. Each auxiliary paid annual dues of $2.00. The meetings were held quarterly. Raffles were held at the meetings and the profit was added to the treasury.
On December 10, 1940, with a balance of $81.60 in the treasury, the first recorded donations of $25.00 were made to the State Hospital Fund (now the Bessie Marshall Benefit Fund) and $10.00 to the Red Cross. At the same time, a committee was appointed to see if there was a need of giving donations for the various ambulances in the county. As a result of their findings, at the March 4, 1941 meeting, donations of $5.00 were made to Herald Harbor towards a first aid kit, Riviera Beach towards an ambulance, West Annapolis for supplies, Brooklyn Park towards their ambulance fund, and to Orchard Beach towards splints. Annapolis had support from the city and did not need help at the time. A donation of $5.00 was later made to Jessup for a blanket.
The first recorded installation of officers was on March 10, 1942 at Brooklyn. The installation was conducted by the President of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Maryland State Firemen’s Association, Nina Merryman. The officers elected were:
President Gertrude McIntyre Jessup
Vice President Mrs. Herbert Cromwell Linthicum Heights
Secretary Gladys Meseke Brooklyn
Treasurer Alice Arnold Odenton
Chaplain Mrs. Thomas Brooklyn
The County Auxiliary meetings were hosted by the local auxiliaries and usually held in their fire house. However, all the meetings from December 1943 through June 1945 were held in Baltimore City at the Tearoom of Hochschild Kohn and the May Company.
At the meeting on March 9, 1944, the first Past President’s pin was presented to Gertrude McIntyre. Additional Past President’s pins were later purchased and presented to Annie Hunter and Addie Tongue. The traditional continues to this day where every Past President receives a Past President’s pin.
The reading of the first By-laws took place on June 15, 1944, with each auxiliary receiving a copy.
On December 14, 1944, it was decided to have a Minstrel Show to raise money to give to the State Hospital Fund. The show was held in the Masonic Hall in Glen Burnie on March 16, 1945 and netted a profit of $895.49. Even though there is no record of the transaction, the funds were supposedly given to the State Hospital Fund as intended. Because of the debate about what should happen to the money from the show, an amendment was proposed to the By-Laws to allow the Auxiliary to “raise funds other than for hospitalization.” It was also during this period, that four local auxiliaries joined the County Auxiliary.
After the proposed amendment was passed, a decision to have the By-laws printed in book form was made at the December 13, 1945 meeting. One hundred books were printed at a cost of $20.00. Each Auxiliary received one book with extra books being sold for 25 cents each.
At the June 11, 1946 meeting, a motion was made to have an annual raffle at the December meeting. Each member Auxiliary would donate a prize with one half of the profits going to the State Hospital Fund and the balance to the County Auxiliary treasury. There were 33 prizes for the first raffle with a profit of $687.00. Of that amount, $343.50 was donated to the State Hospital Fund.
The first memorial service for deceased Auxiliary members was held on March 9, 1948 by Mrs. Bonesteel and Rev. Minter. Nine members were remembered.
During the period from 1946 until 1954, the Auxiliary continued to hold raffles. The proceeds were donated to the various fire companies, the State Hospital Fund, and needy families.
In 1954, a committee was appointed to meet with the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firemen’s Association Convention Committee to discuss the possibility of holding a joint convention. Separate business meetings were held on Friday, September 10th, with a joint parade and games on Saturday at Kurtz’s Pleasure Park in Paradise Beach. For the first convention, the Auxiliary purchased a Ladies Auxiliary Banner. It was bought at the Chesapeake Fire and Safety Equipment Company for a cost of $42.00. This was the 25th Anniversary of the Firemen’s Association. Since that date, the annual convention has been a combined effort.
At the meeting on December 14, 1954, the annual dues were raised to $7.00. On December 9, 1958, the members voted to change the regular meetings from quarterly to bi-monthly. At this meeting, it was decided to hold a dance to raise more money for each fire department. The dance was successful and became known as the May Ball and later the May Event.
A Fire Prevention Queen contest was held each year and the winner represented both organizations at parades, fire prevention demonstrations, and at the Maryland State Firemen’s Convention. In 1988, a Junior Miss Fire Prevention contest was held for the first time. Due to lack of participation, both contests have been discontinued.
A Past President’s Club was organized on March 11, 1973 to aid and assist the Auxiliary in any way possible. Even though the number of attendees has dwindled through the years, the small group remains active with quarterly lunches and business sessions. We take pride that Josephine Seifert from the Brooklyn Ladies Auxiliary is the oldest living Past President and remained active until she was almost 100-years old. Mrs. Seifert now resides in a nursing home.
The Buddy Bear Program began in February 1991. The program issued a teddy bear to children 10-years old or younger when they were transported in an ambulance or paramedic unit. At the end of the ride, the bear was theirs to keep. Donations were based solely on raffles, donations from the Fire Companies and Ladies Auxiliaries, civic organizations, and local businesses. The program was expanded in March 1999 to carry nebulizers for sole use on the paramedic units to assist with asthma and respiratory patients. Even though the program received many favorable responses, it ceased in 2007 due to lack of participation and funding not being what it was in the beginning. The remaining funds in the account were distributed among multiple organizations.
The Auxiliary Hall of Fame Committee held its first induction ceremony on March 8, 1994. To date, 96 members from the home companies have been inducted. Of those 96 members inducted, one of the inductees is a man.
Over the 75-year history of the Auxiliary, there have been six mother and daughter teams that have served as President. They are:
*Gertrude Harrington - 1955-1956 - Lake Shore
Jane Huffman - 1999-2000 - Lake Shore
*Betty Cook - 1964-1965 - Brooklyn
*Elizabeth Colliflower - 1971-1972 – Brooklyn
*Grace Knight - 1970-1971 - Odenton
Shirley Stephens - 1976-1977 – Odenton
*Virginia Browning - 1974-1975 - Deale
*Robin Browning - 1985-1986 and 2007-2008 – Deale
Karen Browning George - 1994-1995 – Deale
*Dottie Dean - 1980-1981 and 2008-2009 - Jessup
Theresa Dean Winkelmeyer - 1996-1997 - Jessup
Rose Dean Harrell - 1997-1998 – Jessup
*Catherine Belford - 1987-1988 - Powhatan Beach
Sharon Belford Funk - 1993-1994 - Eastport
The Auxiliary takes an active part in the Ladies Auxiliary to the Maryland State Firemen’s Association (LAMSFA). We take pride that ten ladies were President of the LAMFSA. An additional 14 ladies were appointed Conference Chairman. Four of the ladies served twice as Conference Chairman. Two of our members were presented the Honey Award and 17 of our members were inducted into the Hall of Fame. This is quite impressive to say the least.
An annual donation to the Bessie Marshall Fund is still made by the Auxiliary each year. Annual donations are also given to the Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firefighter’s Association to use at their discretion. Over the last several years, the ladies have made contributions to include the Maryland Fire and Rescue Memorial Foundation, Hearing Impaired Smoke Alarms, the Burn Center, the Anne Arundel County Alarmers, and the County Fire Department School Supply Drive.
Many changes and revisions to the By-laws have been made over the years. The number attending the bi-monthly meetings has dwindled due to the age of members and declining membership in the local auxiliaries. Dates of major fundraising events, election and installation officers, time, and places of meetings are not the same as they were 75-years ago. However, the principal reason for having a County Auxiliary is the same, to help others.
*Deceased
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